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She scrolled through the website I had pulled up. “Ever thought of being a freelancer? You can take jobs that you’re comfortable with and probably work from home. You said you’re good at coding, right? I’m sure there are plenty of companies that hire freelancers to make programs they don’t want to code themselves.”
I frowned. “I never thought of that. I do have a lot of side projects I’ve done that I could put in my portfolio but I don’t have any references…”
“Well, I can be your first reference. I’ve been trying to share the load more with Liam so he can have more free time. He doesn’t have me do anything dangerous but he asked me to talk to Yuri about looking into something. You learned from him, you might be able to do it instead.”
I hesitated. “I’m not sure… I only spent one afternoon with him and I never got to try any of it myself. I mostly just watched. He might be better.”
She shrugged. “No harm in trying, right? If you can’t do it, then we can call him. But I’m pretty sure he’s busy today anyway. Gabi is seeing her OB about those meds you mentioned and Yuri wanted to talk to the doctor about ways he can avoid making her cry again.” Jo giggled at her last comment and I shook my head.
“He acts like she’s going to break if she gets a little upset.”
Jo rolled her lips between her teeth, looking away from me. I poked her cheek, narrowing my eyes. She frowned. “Okay, he’s not really worried about her breaking so much as he’s worried that Dmitriy and his guys will actually kill him just because he happened to be in proximity to her when she was upset. He made a mistake last year that almost got her killed and he’s been trying to make up for it but it’s hard to build trust after that, especially when she cries at the drop of a hat now.”
I gaped at her. “Just how many near death experiences do you guys go through?”
She looked way too nonchalant as she shrugged. “I told you, you’ve got to go through something crazy to end up with guys like ours. Pretty sure James is no exception, your apartment was broken into and you got chased through an alley the day after you got back together.”
I decided to circle back to that later. I was a little nervous to ask what Yuri’s mistake was and Jo mentioned there was another member to her little club. Did she have to go through something insane too?
We turned our focus to what it takes to become a freelancer. It made me a little nervous, I’d have to do all the marketing and stuff by myself, but Jo helped me set up my portfolio, pointing out things that stood out to her if she wanted to hire me for a job. I’d have to get comfortable talking to clients. Jo mentioned it would probably be mostly over email and phone so I could build up my confidence over time.
It took most of the afternoon to get everything up and sign up for a couple freelancer websites. I promised Jo I would start on her project early the following morning. She wasn’t in a rush for it and I knew she was eager to get back to Liam once she found out he was home. I followed her to the top of the stairs, watching her throw herself at him. He had been scowling when he walked in the door but being loved on by his wife wiped that mood away instantly. His face relaxed and he held her tightly as she went over her day with him, a soft smile on his face.
The idea of joining everyone downstairs made me nervous until James walked through the door. He had the same look Liam did and I frowned, heading down the stairs without a second thought. I remember him saying that when he had rough days, all he wanted when he got home was someone to comfort him and I promised I’d be there when he needed me. He didn’t notice me until I was wrapping my arms around his waist from behind. He turned slowly, pulling me to his front so he could wrap himself around me. I felt the tension ease out of his body as he buried his face against my neck.
“I’m starting to feel a little left out,” I heard Jaime complain. Jo giggled. I turned my face enough to watch her offer him a hug, only for Liam to pull her back into his arms and scowl at Jaime.
I watched them argue, fighting over Jo while she just grinned, glued to Liam’s side. She shot me an exaggerated eye roll and I snickered.
“What’s so funny?” James’s voice was muffled. He still hadn’t let go and I was in no rush to move him.
“They’re fighting over her. It’s like watching a TV drama.”
He chuckled, finally pulling away. He didn’t let me stray from him though, his hold keeping me pressed tightly to him. I laid my head against his chest, watching as Jo stepped between them, her face turning severe. She was so bubbly for the most part, until you pissed her off. Then she finally looked like she belonged here amongst these guys.
“Alright, it was funny at first. Now it’s annoying. Both of you knock it off.”
* * *
Liam endedup so irritated by Jaime’s antics that Jo decided it was better if they had dinner in their room to give him some space. She mentioned something about Liam killing Jaime but I tuned her out after that. I didn’t want to think about that kind of stuff. I had no idea if they were joking, and Liam looked beyond pissed off.
James followed me back to his room, content to spend another evening just us two but we were interrupted pretty quickly so I ended up skipping dinner, way too uncomfortable with the idea of going downstairs to get something for myself. He didn’t come back until it was really late and I was half asleep. I felt him crawl into bed with me but I was too tired to call him out.
He was gone again the next morning. This was starting to feel ridiculous, like I was competing with his job. What happened to working on it? It’s not like I’m getting up super late, I’m still on my old work schedule.
I got ready for the day in a huff. I was so irritated, I didn’t even have the energy to be anxious as I made my way to the kitchen. I dropped into the seat next to Jo, dropping my head on the table. I vaguely heard her ask Andre to bring me some coffee but I was still grouchy and not fully awake yet.
It took an entire mug of coffee to realize Jo wasn’t alone in the kitchen. Liam sat next to her, eating breakfast like a normal person. My jaw dropped, my eyes wide enough that they could’ve easily fallen out of my head. Liam frowned, raising an eyebrow at me and Jo turned to see why.
“Why is he here?”
Liam looked stunned, shooting a confused look at Jo. She pursed her lips, trying to figure out why I was so upset. It took her a second before understanding washed over her features and she sighed.
“I’m guessing James wasn’t there this morning?”
I scowled. “He was barely there last night! He came upstairs with me before dinner then disappeared until after I went to bed, then he was gone again before I woke up!”
Liam frowned, pulling out his phone. His eyebrows shot up and Jo eyed him curiously.
